Hermits and the Pursuit of Inner Peace, Part 1 of 2

Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan) has meditated intensively in seclusion at various times in Her life, including now, due to the turbulent times our planet is facing. She has often spoken about the life of solitude and reminded us of the key reasons many spiritual individuals become hermits. “Most people when they love seclusion, it means they want to be one with God. They want to be alone so that they can think of God, they can meditate on God, they can remember God, they can love God, they can see God, they can hear God, they can talk to God, they can listen to God, they can eat with God, sleep with God, walk with God, sit with God, etc...”

Today, we will begin this show by discussing the life of Saint Anthony the Great (vegan), one of the first known Christians who lived as a hermit. Saint Anthony endeavored to be pure of heart and ready to appear before God. While living this spiritual life, he encountered hardships and was regularly disturbed by the voice of temptation. Through deep devotion to God and sincere prayer, St. Anthony eventually overcame all temptations. However, he once faced near-peril and was almost killed by demons. During that time, a Divine Light descending from above intervened, causing the demonic beasts to vanish. Saint Anthony was then freed of his pain and was able to breathe again. He cried out, “Where were Thou? Why did You not appear at the beginning to make my pains to cease?” to which He heard the reply, “Anthony, I was here. I waited to see your fight. Wherefore since you have endured and has not been worsted, I will ever be a succor to you, and you will make your name known everywhere.”

The late Alexandra David-Néel (vegetarian), a Belgian-French explorer, spiritualist and Buddhist, fondly discovered the tranquility and spiritual elevation found in a life of solitude. She also suggests that her solitude provided her with a profound connection to nature. “Nature has a language of its own, or maybe those who have lived long in solitude read in it their own unconscious inner feelings and mysterious foreknowledge.”

The Venerable Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo (vegetarian) is a Buddhist nun of the Drukpa Lineage, a branch of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. After spending 12 years in retreat, meditating in a remote Himalayan cave, she founded the Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in Himachal Pradesh, India.